Clowns Are People Too
by TailsLovesCosmo
Summary: When Cosmo turns down a date with Tails, the fox suspects the worst. But Cosmo has a good reason for what she's doing. How will Tails react when he finds out the truth? This is in defense of clowns, who so many people dislike.


CLOWNS ARE PEOPLE TOO

Tails left his house and walked dejectedly down the hill towards town. He had no idea where he was going or what he was going to do. All that mattered was that he had asked Cosmo to go out with him for lunch, and she had said no.

"I'm sorry, Tails, but I just can't make it today," she'd said.

"Are you doing something with Cream?" Tails asked. "Or Amy?"

"Uh…yes," Cosmo had said, her voice sounding strange over the phone. "I really have to get ready to go. You know how Amy is if you keep her waiting. Bye bye!"

Tails had held the phone and listened to the dial tone until it suddenly started buzzing annoyingly. He hung up and sat down sadly. What had happened? He and Cosmo had been so happy together ever since she'd returned to life. Was she growing tired of him? Of his insecurities? His constant apologies for what he had done to her? He didn't want to think that way, but it had been obvious that she was lying to him. Hiding something from him. When they'd both promised to never do something like that again.

Tails had left home about half an hour later. He didn't know why, but he suddenly found himself at the mall. He shrugged. Maybe looking at electrical equipment or tools would help his sour mood. He went inside. He walked past stores, not really seeing anything. Vaguely, he heard the laughter of children up ahead. He turned the corner in the mall and stopped.

A group of little kids, about four to six years old, were standing or seated on small, multi-colored benches, watching a clown. The clown, clearly female, had a huge fuzzy green wig, green stripes on her face, and wore a baggy red and green checkered dress. She pretended to trip over her huge green shoes. Then he realized it wasn't fake. The clown really had taken a stumble. Tails hurried towards her. He excused himself as he pushed past the crowd, most of whom hadn't yet figured out the clown wasn't faking. He stooped in front of her.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "Do you need help?"

"No, I'm fine, thank y…" The clown looked at Tails, then quickly looked away. But it was too late. Tails would have recognized that voice anywhere.

"C-Cosmo?!?" he gasped.

"Shhh," she hissed. "Please, call me Coocoo," she whispered as he helped her to her feet. "Could we talk later, please, Tails? I don't want to disappoint anyone by leaving before the hour's up."

"Of course," Tails said. He looked around. "She's okay, everybody!" The kids applauded. Tails stepped out of the circle, and Cosmo continued her show. Tails was surprised by how talented she was. He could see why she had tripped. Her shoes must have been size twenty! Where had they found such clodhoppers?

Someone tapped him on the shoulder. Tails turned to see the director of the mall, a gopher who had asked him to make repairs on the mall in the past.

"She's great, isn't she?" the director asked him.

Tails looked back at Cosmo. "Yeah," he said, smiling, "she sure is."

"We hired a couple of clowns for a show today, but neither of them showed up. Cosmo heard me discussing this with some of the staff, and volunteered to help out. I hope you don't mind?"

"Mind?" Tails said. He shook his head. "No, not at all." So that was why she'd cancelled. He looked over at her, now climbing a rope that was tied to a beam on the ceiling. She climbed to about twenty feet, then seemed to wobble. Was she going to fall? Then he saw her lose her grip on the rope and fall. He spun his tails and flew towards her, stopping when he saw her dress balloon out all around her. Realizing he was being stared at, he landed, pointed his hand at Cosmo, and cried, "Ta da! Let's give Coocoo the Clown a big hand, everybody!" He started clapping. The kids clapped with him. Cosmo took a bow.

Tails hurried out of the circle again, feeling very embarrassed.

"It's amazing how you can fly and she can float like that," the director said.

"Yeah," Tails agreed, not really listening. He felt lousy. He'd thought badly of Cosmo for not wanting to go out with him, and now he was hurting her show. How could he make it up to her? Then he thought of something. "Uh…how much longer is Cosmo's show supposed to run?"

"About twenty more minutes," the director said.

"How did you get a costume for her at the last minute?" the fox asked.

"From the Halloween Shop," he was told. "It's October, you know."

Tails smacked his forehead. Of course it was! Duh! "You said you were supposed to have two clowns?" he asked.

The director nodded. "For the orphanage."

Tails looked back at the smiling, laughing children. Orphans. Just like Cosmo. Just like Tails had believed he was for much of his life. Yet here they were, probably the happiest they'd been since they lost their parents. Because of Cosmo. Tails turned back to the director. "Would it be okay if I joined her?"

The director looked surprised. "You want to do something in the show?"

"Actually," Tails said, "I'd like to take the place of the other clown." He sighed at the surprised look on the gopher's face.

Five minutes later, a red and yellow checkered figure with a rainbow wig and equally huge shows approached the group, twin tails now sprayed blue and green.

"Duh…here I am, Dumdum the Clown, at your service!" he said to Cosmo, falling over backwards onto a whoopee cushion he'd attached to the inside of his baggy pants. .

Cosmo's eyes opened wide. Then she helped him up. "Uh…I really don't like that noise maker," she whispered to him, "but thank you so much for volunteering. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this, Tails. I-I was afraid you'd think I was being strange, wanting to dress up like this, but…"

"I'm sorry I gave you that impression," Tails said, taking out a deck of playing cards. "No more secrets?"

"No more secrets," Cosmo promised, as Tails proceeded to "eat" the cards, stuffing them in his mouth. Cosmo stared at him. What was he doing?

"Something my brother taught me," Tails whispered, winking at her. He grabbed his stomach. "Oh! I feel terrible! You know, they say cards are hard to digest, but I'm not ready to die just yet!" Then he "threw up" the cards.

Cosmo shook her head. Tails' jokes were crude, but the kids clearly liked them from the way they laughed, so she clapped.

After the show, the kids hugged both clowns, then went away with the people from the orphanage. Tails looked at the clock on the wall. Almost two o'clock. He smiled at Cosmo. "It's a little late for lunch, but how about an early dinner?"

Cosmo smiled back at him. She curtseyed. "I'd be delighted, kind gentleman." She held out her hand. Tails smiled and took it.

Hand in hand, Dumdum the Clown and Coocoo the Clown ignored the stares from mall shoppers as they walked to the food court and ordered dinner. This wasn't the lunch date Tails had been expecting, but a date with Cosmo was a date with Cosmo.

THE END


End file.
